Transitional mode high speed rail systems

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure relates to a transitional mode high speed rail system. The high speed rail infrastructure employed by the system is constructed adjacent a conventional host highway. The infrastructure can be provided adjacent to acceleration/deceleration lanes, or emergency parking/paved shoulder lanes. The vehicles used by the system are individual, self-powered, self-operating, individual mass passenger transport vehicles similar in size and appearance to municipal buses. These are transitional mode vehicles because they operate as railroad vehicles on the high speed rail infrastructure, but transition to automotive vehicle mode traveling on ordinary paved roads. They are mass passenger transport vehicles because many passengers can be accommodated.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to provisional patent application Ser.No. 61/524,822 filed on Aug. 18, 2011, and entitled “Transitional ModeHigh Speed Rail.” The contents of this application are fullyincorporated herein for all purposes.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to a high speed rail system. More particularly,the present invention relates to a high speed rail system that employsindividually powered passenger cars and that can travel between rail androad infrastructures.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure addresses three distinct transportation relatedproblems. The three problems concern, high speed rail, the interstatehighway system, and heavy freight hauling. Traditional high speed rail,also sometimes referred to as bullet trains, are well known in the art.Most high speed trains travel on standard gauge rail road beds and arelimited to transporting passengers. Current high speed rail systems haveserious limitations. Passengers can only get on and off at randomlylocated stations. The current high speed rail vehicle is a traincomposed of a heavy locomotive with some variable number of passengercars. The train is inefficient because it requires the same personneland same amount of energy to complete a scheduled trip whether it hasone passenger or 500 passengers. High speed rail trains also suffer fromlimited flexibility, as the train can only travel where the rails go.Often the rail infrastructure is constructed through interstate highwaymedians, thereby making stations harder to access and requiring majorhighway and overpass construction. High speed locomotives may be poweredby diesel fuel or by electricity. If powered by electricity, theelectricity is provided by a continuous overhead power grid or acontinuous electric feed in the rail bed structure. This is an expensiveand inefficient way to deliver electric energy to the locomotives.

High speed rail trains also have little to differentiate between eachother. They compete on speed. One manufacturer will claim 186 MPH,another will claim 250 MPH, and another may achieve 300 MPH for a fewseconds under ideal conditions on a special straightaway. They can thenclaim that their train can travel 300 MPH. But such speeds are lessrelevant if the train has a station stop every few miles. Numerous stopsmay mean that a train rarely reaches 100 MPH and may average just 60MPH. Yet, there are also drawbacks to having fewer stops between largecities. Fewer stops means that the trains can then reach higher speeds.However, with limited station stops, the trains will now receive revenuefrom fewer passengers.

Higher speed means increased aerodynamic resistance, less efficiency,more noise, more hazards, and ultimately higher costs. Furthermore, thecost of constructing these high speed rail systems (which may includetrack infrastructure, stations, locomotives and passenger cars) is veryhigh. The primary purpose of any high speed rail system is to divertautomotive traffic off of the overcrowded highways and to provide fastertravel between major cities. High speed rail systems often fail becauseit is typically difficult for commuters to get to the stations, find aplace to park, and travel on the trains' schedule. High speed railsystems also often leave commuters stranded at remote stations. As aresult of the lack of popularity, high speed trains always require heavygovernment subsidies to make up for revenue shortfalls.

Current high speed rail is a successor to railroad passenger servicethat was provided from the earliest days of railroad and train servicesin the early 1800's up through the present AMTRAK passenger service.There is no technical difference between then and now other than allegedservice improvement premised on projected speed. There is no directcorrelation between present high speed rail and interstate highwaytravel. There is no physical interrelationship between present highspeed rail and interstate highway traffic even when they share a commonright-of-way. There is no interaction, impact, or involvement of heavyfreight vehicles traveling on interstate highways with present highspeed rail. Current high speed rail carries passengers exclusively.Hauling freight is left to the traditional freight rail carrierstypically operating on separate road beds, so this means present Highspeed rail involves the construction of additional and dedicatedinfrastructure. High speed rail infrastructure does not add capacity toexisting interstate highways. The infrastructure is dedicated to theexclusive use of high speed rail passenger trains and have no otherusage or productive purpose.

A second problem addressed by the present disclosure concerns theinterstate highway system. Interstate highways have become increasinglycrowded and sometimes overcrowded. Often times traffic becomes so heavyit comes to a standstill. It is an irony that a multi-lane road with nostop signs and no traffic signals experience reduced capacity as itstraffic load increases and eventually, as traffic reaches a maximum, thecapacity of the roadway becomes zero, traffic simply stops moving.Interstate highways need more lanes, but more lanes means they mustincrease right-of-way, rebuild overpasses, move existing lanes, andreconstruct drainage structures. It is almost like building the entireinterstate from scratch just to add one or two traffic lanes.

A third problem addressed by the present disclosure relates to heavyfreight hauling that is now done by diesel tractor trailers. Thesetractor trailers pull most of their long haul loads on interstatehighways. A concern is that some 20% of total automotive pollution comesfrom tractor trailers. Convert all cars, SUV's, vans, and pick-up trucksto electric and 20% of the pollution will remain. A disproportionateshare of highway accidents involve tractor trailers. Yet another problemis that heavy loaded tractor trailers are estimated to cause 90% of thedamage requiring road maintenance repairs.

Tractor trailer operators have many other problems to deal with. Longdistance freight haulers are competing with rail freight, andregulations allow operators to drive only so many miles or hours a daybefore they must sleep, make fuel stops, or restroom stops. Operatorsmust also schedule loads and deliveries. Speed limits and trafficcongestion create further delays. The cost of diesel fuel is alsoincreasing just as the costs of gasoline and other fuels.

The transitional mode high speed rail system of the present disclosureseeks to overcome aforementioned problems associated with traditionalhigh speed rail, our current interstate highway system, and heavyfreight hauling. The invention detailed in the present disclosure isaimed at overcoming these and other problems present in the backgroundart.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a high Speed railsystem that does not have the disadvantages associated with current highspeed rail systems, such as bullet trains.

One of the advantages of the high speed rail system of the presentdisclosure is that it eliminates the need for on-line stations oron-line station stops.

Yet another advantage is realized by using a series of individuallypowered mass transit vehicles instead of passenger cars pulled by alocomotive.

A further advantage is that the system of the present disclosure allowsindividual mass transit passenger vehicles to get on and off of a railsystem (or skyway) at any interchange associated with an existinginterstate highway.

It is also an advantage to provide rail infrastructure on the outersides of a paved roadway and infrastructure that passes over or underthe existing overpasses.

Still yet another advantage is realized by using the on and off ramps ofan existing interstate highway to get mass passenger transport vehicleson and off of the high speed rail infrastructures.

It is an advantage of the present disclosure to require all vehicles onthe rail infrastructure (or skyway) to always travel at minimumvelocity, with no stops, slowing down, or stopping anywhere or anytime.

The system of the present disclosure effectively increases the number ofinterstate highway lanes from the equivalent of six to eight travellanes without having to reconstruct the existing highway and overpasses.

The disclosed system also allows non-passenger vehicles, such as haulingheavy freight vehicles, to share the use and benefit of the high speedrail system, with equal accessibility as the mass passenger transportvehicles.

The system provides so many advantages to freight operators that theywould likely replace their diesel tractor trailers with suitableelectric high speed rail freighters.

The system provides direct access ramps on and off the transitional modehigh speed rail infrastructure without use of the interstate highway onand off interchanges or traffic lanes.

Another advantage by the present system is realized by using a pulsecharging process to provide electric energy from the infrastructure toassociated vehicles.

These and other advantages are realized via a transitional mode highspeed rail, passenger carrying mass transit transportation system with aseparate dedicated unique skyway infrastructure that uses rails forvehicles to travel over. This high speed rail is referenced as a“transitional mode” because the vehicles using it are traveling onrails, but when they leave the system they make a transition from arailroad mode to the automobile mode and travel on conventional pavedroad surfaces. It is high speed because vehicles travel at least aminimum of 120 MPH up to 125 MPH. However, it has many improvements overtraditional high speed rail, prior art. The current invention does nothave station stops along the skyway infrastructure, it uses individualvehicles approximately the size and capacity of municipal buses, andthey can operate as buses when not on the high speed rail skyway, theskyway follows outside the paved lanes of the highway right-of-way it isusing so the existing highway does not get disturbed, the infrastructurecan share the right-of-way with interstate highways or any majorthoroughfare even if it has no median or interchanges, vehicles travelat a minimum constant velocity on the skyway no matter how many vehiclesare using the system. Individual mass transit passenger vehicles get onand off the skyway at any interstate highway interchange or any majorcrossroad if traveling along a thoroughfare. The self-powered vehiclesare electric powered hybrids, use fuel cells or any acceptable cleanenergy supply or energy storage device for energy when traveling off ofthe skyway on conventional roads. In the preferred embodiment the masspassenger transports in this system may receive pulse charging whentraveling on the system infrastructure. The bimodal wheels allow travelon conventional roads or on the steel rails of the skywayinfrastructure.

The current invention increases the effective number of interstatehighway lanes because any suitably equipped vehicle on the highway canaccess the skyway and travel with the flow of the high speed railtraffic. The high speed rails on both sides increases the interstatehighway by the equivalent capacity of 6 to 8 lanes.

Freight vehicles, built to the standards of the skyway system, may alsouse the transitional mode high speed rail infrastructure. This wouldenable a freight operator to haul three times as much freight in thesame amount of time while cutting delivery time to one third the timerequired for the traditional over the road diesel tractor trailer.

Various embodiments of the invention may have none, some, or all ofthese advantages. Other technical advantages of the present inventionwill be readily apparent to one skilled in the art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure and itsadvantages, reference is now made to the following descriptions, takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 a is a cross-section of elevated transitional mode high speedrail infrastructure formed from concrete.

FIG. 1 b is a cross-section of elevated transitional mode high speedrail infrastructure formed from steel.

FIG. 2 is side elevational view of transitional mode mass passengertransport vehicle.

FIG. 3 is front elevational view of a transitional mode mass passengertransport locked onto a section of a high speed rail.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a transitional mode high speed rail systemillustrating access ramps to and from an interstate highway.

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of a transitional mode high speed rail systemillustrating access ramps to and from an interstate highway alsoalternate external on and off direct access ramps with spurs that bypassthe interstate highway access ramps and interchange.

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of a heavy freight transport vehiclewith a compartment for a truck operator in the vehicle.

FIG. 7 is a top plan view a transitional mode high speed rail systemillustrating how operators of heavy freight transports interact betweenthe transitional mode high speed rail and use of the interstate highway.

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of a follow me wireless trailer hitchfreight caravan of self-powered completely automated, driverless, heavyfreight transports led by a single tractor vehicle with a singleoperator inside.

FIG. 9 is a top plan view of a transitional mode high speed rail systemillustrating several follow me heavy freight transport caravans usingthe interstate highway for accessing the high speed rail; this view alsoshows the follow me heavy transport caravans using the direct accessexternal ramps to get on and off the high speed rail.

FIG. 10 is a top plan view of a transitional mode high speed rail systembeing used by fully automated heavy freight transports with follow meoff system lead tractors.

FIG. 11 is a top plan view of a transitional mode high speed rail systembeing used by a variety of small personal vehicles and delivery trucks.

FIG. 12 is a side elevational view of a large vehicle such as a heavyfreight transport illustrating various pulse charging components.

FIG. 13 is a schematic illustration of a pulse charging station with aseries of contact power feed rails, a bank of energy storage devices forinstantly recharging contact power feed rails, high voltage transmissionlines, and a source generating electricity.

FIGS. 14-16 are side elevational views showing a heavy freight transportprogressing through various stages of the pulse charging process.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates to a transitional mode high speed railsystem. The high speed rail infrastructure employed by the system isconstructed adjacent a conventional host highway. The infrastructure canbe provided adjacent to acceleration/deceleration lanes, or emergencyparking/paved shoulder lanes. The various vehicles used by the systeminclude individual, self-powered, self-operating, individual masspassenger transport vehicles similar in size and appearance to municipalbuses. These are transitional mode vehicles because they operate asrailroad vehicles on the high speed rail infrastructure, but transitionto automotive vehicle mode traveling on ordinary paved roads. They aremass passenger transport vehicles because many passengers can beaccommodated. Throughout this description these vehicles will bereferred to simply as mass passenger transports (or “MPTs”). The variousdetails of the present invention, and the manner in which theyinterrelate, will be described in greater detail hereinafter.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a cross section of twovariations of the primary embodiment of the high speed railInfrastructure. FIG. 1 a illustrates a concrete infrastructure 10. FIG.1 b shows a steel infrastructure 20. Each variation has rails 11, acontact surface 12, a security rail 13, and plenums for electric powertransmission 14. Each variation is also supported upon a hollow concretecolumns 15. Infrastructure (10 or 20) may incorporate components fromthe Integrated Multimodal Transportation System and AssociatedInfrastructure described in commonly owned patent application Ser. No.12/827,437 filed on Jun. 30, 2010 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,342,101). Thecontents of U.S. Pat. No. 8,342,101 are incorporated herein for allpurposes.

FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrates an MPT. FIG. 2 is a front view of the MPT 21showing a driver 26, rails 11, contact surface pavement 12, securityrail 13, plenum for electric power transmission 14, hollow concretecolumn 15 supporting the infrastructure, high voltage electric lines 16for distributing electric power to the MPTs 21. Saddle 17 secures MPT 21to the infrastructure 10. An electric charging contact surface 18 isincluded for passing electricity from the infrastructure 10 to theelectric contact surface 19 attached to the saddle 17. Saddle 17, inturn, delivers electrical power into MPT 21. MPT 21 is equipped withbimodal wheels 22 which have a steel or metallic rim 23 for travel onrails and rubber or resilient wheels (or tires) 24 for flat surfaces.There is preferably a space 25 between the rubber wheels 24 and contactsurface 12. Contact surface 12 is used to give MPT 21 extra traction foron ramps, or when MPT 21 is accelerating rapidly or going up steepuphill grades. In such situations, rails 11 are shortened to allowcontact surface 12 to contact wheels 24 for additional traction. Contactsurface 12 can also be employed whenever MPTs 21 change from one highspeed rail structure to an adjacent high speed rail structure. Bimodalwheels 22 may incorporate components from the Integrated MultimodalTransportation System and Associated Infrastructure described incommonly owned patent application Ser. No. 12/827,437 filed on Jun. 30,2010. The contents of this co-pending application are incorporatedherein for all purposes.

FIG. 4 illustrates a series of vehicles, which may be MPTs, using thehigh speed infrastructure of the present disclosure. Vehicle 30 entersthe interstate highway using the on ramp 40 in a conventional fashion.Vehicle 31 is on the acceleration lane 41 and can merge into Lane 4 ifit wants to travel on the interstate, but since it is a MPT it continuesstraight ahead up the on ramp 42 to an elevated high speed railinfrastructure 43. Elevated high speed rail infrastructure 43 may employeither of the constructions described above in connection with FIGS. 1 aand 1 b. Vehicle 32 has reached the position where it is traveling therequired velocity and can switch onto the high speed rail 43. If vehicle32 did not achieve the required velocity, or if some other malfunctionwas detected during the on ramp, then vehicle 32 would not have beenallowed to merge onto 43 and would have been sent down the off ramp 44where vehicle 32 could merge into Lane 4 or exit the interstate. Vehicle33 is shown exiting infrastructure 43 and onto the off ramp 44 where itdecelerates to interstate speed. Vehicle 34 is shown traveling along oninfrastructure 43 at the minimum controlled velocity. Vehicle 35 isgetting ready to exit from exit lane 45.

Vehicle 36 is taking the off ramp 46 to exit the interstate highway likeany other vehicle. The vehicle 36 was turned over to the manual controlof the MPT vehicle operator as it came down the exit ramp. The vehicleoperator had to indicate he was ready to take over control before thevehicle was allowed to exit the high speed rail 43. Vehicle 36 can bedriven anywhere on the road just like any conventional automotivevehicle. This completes the basic description of how the preferredembodiment is used by a MPT except for the pulsed energy supply to thevehicle while it is on the skyway, which will be described hereinafter.

A more advanced application of the preferred embodiment of thetransitional mode high speed rail system is demonstrated in FIG. 5. FIG.5 illustrates an external on and off ramp system (47, 48, 49, 61, 62 and63) which allows vehicles to access the high speed rail infrastructurewhere there are no interstate highway on and off ramps. This allowsanother degree of flexibility. A driver of MPT 50 drives to the on ramp47 and parks the vehicle. The vehicle operator gets out and the vehiclethen proceeds onto the high speed rail infrastructure 43 without anoperator. This is the same kind of MPT as described above. The MPTvehicle does not need an operator while on the system. When a vehicle 51is ready to leave the high speed rail 43 it exits at 48, goes down theoff ramp and turns into any designated spur 61, 62, or 63 and stops.When vehicle 51 stops an operator gets into the driver seat and drivesthe mass passenger transport away manually. This latter process avoidsthe cost of an operator while the vehicle is on the transitional modehigh speed rail infrastructure.

The disclosed transitional mode high speed rail handles heavy freightvehicles in addition to passengers. The heavy freight vehicle 70 shownin FIG. 6 is comparable in dimensions, weight and capacity to aconventional diesel powered tractor trailer that would ordinarily usethe interstate highway except it has a unit body. This vehicle has acompartment for the truck driver; however, the vehicle is completelyautomated when on the high speed rail system.

FIG. 7 illustrates how the operator of a heavy freight transport 70 usesthe transitional mode high speed rail infrastructure. A heavy freighttransport 70 is driven onto the on ramp 40 of the interstate highwayjust the same as if it were a conventional diesel tractor trailergetting on the highway. The vehicle moves to the acceleration lane 41.At position 71 the conventional diesel tractor trailer would merge leftinto travel Lane 4 on the interstate highway, but the heavy freighttransport 70 continues straight ahead onto the access ramp 41 and asvehicle 72 merges onto the High Speed Rail infrastructure. Othervehicles 73 are exiting the high speed rail using off ramp 44. Vehicle75 is using the exit lane 45 and vehicle 76 is using the off ramp at 46.Vehicle 74 is continuing its journey on the high speed rail 43. Thetruck driver has nothing to do as far as operating the vehicle while onthe high speed rail. When the heavy freight transport 70 reaches itsscheduled exit location the automated system alerts the truck driverthat he must be prepared to operate the vehicle before it is allowed toexit. The vehicle operator must perform some manual and communicationsprotocol to demonstrate he is ready to control the vehicle when it isreleased onto the interstate highway.

The operator of a diesel tractor trailer has to stop for fuel, travel intraffic, follow speed limits and is allowed to travel a limited numberof hours per day. The truck driver operating the heavy freight transporton the high speed rail is traveling 120 MPH, no traffic, no fuel stops,he can go to sleep, he can schedule his next load pick-ups, he canaccurately schedule delivery. If his vehicle has the same capacity asthe diesel tractor trailer he will be able to move three times as muchfreight in the same amount of time, and he will deliver the freight inone third the time. There are the additional advantages of lower energycosts, higher efficiency of steel wheels on steel rails, less stress andlower maintenance. The freight operator using the high speed rail wouldhave a huge economic advantage over the diesel tractor trailer operator.The end result is that very quickly most diesel tractor trailers wouldbe off the interstate.

FIG. 8 illustrates a more advanced “Follow Me Wireless Trailer HitchHeavy Freight Caravan.” This arrangement leverages the individualfreight operator even more. FIG. 9 shows the freight caravan 65 on theinterstate highway preparing to go up the ramp onto the high speed rail43. FIG. 9 also shows a freight caravan 66 preparing to use the externalaccess ramp 67 to get onto the high speed rail 43. The tractor at thehead of each freight caravan has an operator. The vehicles in thecaravan are connected to the tractor 70 with an invisible wireless cyberhitch (IWCH). Each vehicle in the caravan is aware of the lead vehicle70 and of every other vehicle in the caravan. Using GPS and wirelesscommunications the tractor 70 controls every movement of the trailingvehicles, their speed, spacing, and when they turn. This allows thetractor to lead the caravan onto the interstate highway with nooperators in the vehicles and in addition, these caravan vehicles areunable to operate automatically on the interstate. Vehicles in thecaravan do not need an operator on the high speed rail, but they need tofollow the lead tractor on the interstate. Caravan vehicles do not needand do not have a compartment for a vehicle operator. As caravans travelalong the skyway 43, one or more of the caravan vehicles may reach itsdelivery exit. For example, caravan 68 has had heavy freight transports4 and 6 exit the caravan at 48, go down the ramp 80 and into spurs 81and 83, and stop. Remaining vehicles 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, and 9 continue ontheir way. Soon after, the vehicles 86 and 87 arrive and, like vehicles70, these are caravan lead vehicles with Invisible Wireless CyberHitches. Their signals lock on and vehicles 4 and 6 follow 86 and 87 totheir delivery destination.

The freight caravan operator is now moving 18 times as much freight inthe same number of driving hours as a truck driver of a diesel tractortrailer, but the freight is delivered three times as fast. Example: Ittakes three days to drive a diesel tractor trailer to the west coast.The freight caravan 68 can drive it in one day and can deliver six timesas many freight transports in that one day, as the tractor trailer candeliver in three days.

FIG. 10 shows the top view of the transitional mode high speed railsystem with the external access ramps. The same heavy freight vehicle asFIG. 8 that was used in the “Follow Me” freight caravan can be used.This vehicle does not have an operator, and it has no place for anoperator to ride in the vehicle. Heavy freight vehicle 77 is being leadto the on ramp by a tractor using an “Invisible Wireless Cyber Hitch”78. There is no physical connection, but they are wirelessly hitched.Vehicle 77 may have followed tractor 78 for several miles onconventional roads. When the “Invisible Wireless Cyber Hitch” isreleased vehicle 77 is ready to go onto the on ramp and onto the highspeed rail by itself. The vehicle may travel several hundred miles.Referring again to FIG. 10, assume vehicle 77 has reached itsdestination, it exits the high speed rail 43, goes down the ramp 44,pulls into a parking spur 45 and stops. Eventually, a tractor 79equipped with a “Invisible Wireless Cyber Hitch” 78 drives past within agiven distance and vehicle 77 pulls up behind it and follows the tractorto wherever the delivery is to be made.

This changes the trucking industry. Truck drivers only lead heavyfreight transports to and from the access ramps and parking spurs of theexternal access ramps of the transitional mode high speed rail. Thefreight vehicles travel automatically on the high speed rail withoutoperators in the vehicles. The truck drivers do not have to go on theroad away from home for several days on long trips.

FIG. 11 illustrates a top view of high speed rail with on and off rampsproviding vehicle access to and from the interstate highway travel lanesand the transitional mode high speed rail infrastructure. Any privatevehicle 90, whether it has only one passenger, or an SUV, or VAN, or BOXTRUCK used for deliveries to restaurants or convenience stores,traveling on the interstate highway can go to the access ramp 91 and ifit is equipped to operate on the high speed rail infrastructure, get onand travel 120 MPH along with the mass passenger transports and heavyfreight transports. This has the effect of increasing the number oftravel lanes and capacity of the interstate highway.

As was indicated above, in the preferred embodiment the MPT, heavyfreight transports and all vehicles operating on the transitional modehigh speed rail, can be supplied with electric energy from high voltagepulses when they are operating on the transitional mode high speed railInfrastructure. This electric energy drives the vehicle motors, airconditioning, all controls, all amenities for passengers and alsocharges any storage batteries or any other type of electric energystorage devices the vehicles may use when they have to operate onconventional roads or without the benefit of pulse charging.

Pulse charging is an energy efficient process for delivering electricenergy to vehicles in a controlled environment on a transportationinfrastructure. It is defined in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 8,179,091and entitled Method and Apparatus for Protecting Charging Devices fromSurges and Lightning Strikes and commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 7,906,935and entitled Method and Apparatus for Charging Electric Devices. Thecontents of both these patents are fully incorporated herein for allpurposes. The process of pulse charging is nonetheless expandedhereinafter within the context of the present disclosure.

FIG. 12 shows a side view of an MPT. For illustration purposes assumethe vehicle is 40 feet long. There are 7 electric contact receivers(1-7) (116) below the vehicle beginning five feet from the front,continuing at five foot intervals and the last is five foot from theback of the vehicle. These electric contact receivers (1-7) wouldnormally be embedded in the saddles which would be under the bus, butfor illustration they are not shown. In FIG. 1 there is a security rail13 (or central control beam) that runs along the middle of theinfrastructure. High voltage electric lines 113 (note FIG. 13) carryelectric energy through the skyway infrastructures to a cascade of powerstorage stations 110. These stations create a series of storage buckets.A to F are end to end energy transfer surfaces. Then 1 to 10 are acascade of stored energy buckets. As each vehicle power receiver passesover these, one stored energy bucket after the other is initiated. Thepower lines 113 refill them as fast as they are initiated. In FIG. 13there are five central control beams 13 laying end to end. In FIG. 13these segments 117 are labeled A through F. All we have done is cut thecontinuous central control beam 13 into six sections each five footlong. These are now contact power feed rails 117. When one of theelectric contact receivers 116 comes in contact with a contact powerfeed rail 117, and if it is energized, then up to 0.5 KWH of electricitywill flow from 117 through 116 and the 0.5 KWH of energy will be storedin ultracapacitors 114 (note FIG. 12) until the energy is needed foroperating the vehicle. The 0.5 KWH is chosen because that isapproximately the power required to operate a private automobile sizevehicle for one mile. At 120 MPH the vehicle 115 is receiving rechargingevery 30 seconds. The electricity must be transferred in a fewmilliseconds, and each individual contact power feed rail 117 must beready with a full 0.5 KWH charge an instant later as one electriccontact receiver after another slides over it. In FIG. 13 there is acascade of charged ultracapacitors 110, each containing 0.5 kwh ofpower. In column A there is a cascade of 10 ultracapacitors. Rows B, C,D, E, and F each of their own cascade or bank of 10 ultracapacitors.Column A is responsible for charging contact power feed rail A 117 fromits cascade of 10 ultracapacitors. Every time an Electric ContactReceiver 116 (1 through 7) drags along the length of A 117 it willtransfer 0.5 KWH of power to the vehicle ultracapacitors 114.Appropriate electronic circuits will cascade in sequence from 1-A to 2-Ato 3-A and so on and then come back to 1-A. All the ultracapacitors inthe storage cascade 110 are re-supplied with electricity from a powergenerating station 112 delivering the power through high voltagetransmission lines 113.

In FIG. 14 the vehicle is beginning to travel over the contact powerfeed rails in its path. Electric Contact Receiver 1 (116) has alreadyreceived 0.5 KWH from A and B, while electric contact receiver 2 (116)has received 0.5 kwh from A. Contact power feed rail C (117) is about tobe energized as soon as c is completely covered by the front of thevehicle. Contact power feed rail D, E, and F are not energized. In FIG.15 all the electric contact receivers 116 are receiving electricitysimultaneously except for 7. The Contact Power Feed Rails (117) Athrough F are transferring 0.5 KWH of electricity each and every 50milliseconds or so. In FIG. 16 the electric contact receiver 1 and 2(116) of the vehicle has just passed over the contact power feed rail F(117). Although F is still energized, contact power rail segment A isabout to be de-energized, and B to F are still transferring energythrough electric contact receivers (116) 3 to 7. This charging processis repeated at each charging station. Each Electric Contact Receiver(116) receives 0.5 KWH each time it travels along a contact power feedrail. So each of 7 electric contact receivers contacts 6 contact powerfeed rails. That means 7 times 6 times 0.5 KWH or 21 KWH of power hasbeen transferred to the ultracapacitors in the vehicle. That is 42 timesas much as a car weighing approximately 1500 to 2000 lbs. That is enoughenergy to operate either the MPTs or heavy freight transports. Ifnecessary, more electric energy could be transferred by making thevehicle longer, increasing the number of contact power feed rails ormoving charging stations closer together. Another way is to make thecontact power feed rails shorter, increase their quantityproportionately and move the electric contact receivers on the vehiclecloser together to match the length of the shorter Contact power feedrails, increasing their numbers proportionately. All dimensions andquantities are for illustration and would vary depending on thesituation.

The pulse charging process described above is able to provide pulsecharging for vehicles of various sizes from a small private passenger,to intermediate size, to delivery trucks, box trucks, mass passengertransports to heavy freight transports. It is understood the processdescribed above could be achieved in many ways with a variety ofelectronic solid state devices, electromagnetic devices, and any numberof configurations. The essential problem with pulse charging a largevehicle is that the vehicle requires more power than what is stored onthe individual contact power feed rails 117 for charging standardprivate vehicles. And in addition, the flow of electric power throughthe high voltage transmission lines 113 cannot carry sufficient currentto recharge the contact power feed rails fast enough to charge thevehicle in the short time it has to pass over. Therefore, the power isaccumulated. It is understood there are many parameters and choices ofequipment an electronic or electrical engineer with ordinary technologyskills can use for addressing this problem.

A private vehicle with one passenger may have just one Electric ContactReceiver System (116) installed in the saddle. The vehicle can receiveall the power it needs (typically 0.5 KWH) from a single contact powerfeed rail 117. The contact power feed rail can be supplied from a singlestorage block, such as (1-A) in the electric energy storage bank 110. Onthe other hand, a heavy freight transport may need 20 or more KWH ofpower in just a few milliseconds. In the simplest most basic terms, thevehicle needs at least one or more Electric Contact Receivers (116) thatwill provide transfer by either direct contact, induction transfer,electromagnetic transfer, or a wireless transfer of electricity from oneor more Contact Power Feed Rails (117), which could be deployed in avariety of configurations. There will need to be an electric energystorage bank (110) with enough stored energy to continue to charge thecontact power feed rails (117) to supply a full charge to the vehicle,and to additional vehicles that may be directly behind. Keep in mindthere could be a lead tractor with several Heavy freight transportsfollowing bumper to bumper. This could require delivery of as much as140 KWH in perhaps less than 3 seconds. The equipment chosen and energystorage capacity shown in FIG. 13 must be sized accordingly. Supplyingpulse charging to a string of single passenger vehicles is muchdifferent than providing pulse charging to a caravan of heavy freighttransports. The electric energy storage bank cascade could useUltracapacitor Technology, Solid State Devices, Fly Wheel Technology,SMES (Superconducting Electromagnetic Energy Storage Devices) or anyother technology that is economical and is able to accomplish theobjective. It is understood that, as traffic increases then the KWH ofpower flowing through the high voltage transmission lines (113) willincrease and that will also affect the choice of equipment for the pulsecharging process.

Although this disclosure has been described in terms of certainembodiments and generally associated methods, alterations andpermutations of these embodiments and methods will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art. Accordingly, the above description of exampleembodiments does not define or constrain this disclosure. Other changes,substitutions, and alterations are also possible without departing fromthe spirit and scope of this disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A multimodal high speed transportation systemcomprising: a guideway infrastructure supported by a series of supportcolumns, the guideway infrastructure comprising a triangular frame thatincludes two opposing edges, empty space containing electronics,sensors, support beams, and support features, and a central extent, eachopposing edge including a planar contact surface of fixed width and arail positioned above the planar contact surface, a central control beamand a charging surface extending along the central extent, electriclines positioned within the guideway infrastructure and deliveringelectric power to the charging surface; a highway extending alongsidethe guideway infrastructure, the highway including a conventional roadsurface, the highway and the guideway infrastructure beinginterconnected at designated locations by way of on-ramps and off-ramps;a series of interconnected mass passenger transport (MPT), each MPTincluding a central saddle and a set of bimodal wheels, with eachbimodal wheel including a metallic flange and a resilient tire, the rimand tire each having an axis of rotation that is substantiallyhorizontal, each MPT adapted to travel between the skyway guidewayinfrastructure or the highway by way of the on-ramps and off-ramps,wherein when an MPT travels along the highway, the resilient tirescontact the conventional road surface, and when an MPT travels along theguideway infrastructure, the metallic rims contact the rails and thesaddle engages the central control beam and the MPT receives power fromthe charging surface.
 2. The multimodal high speed transportation systemas defined in claim 1 wherein the guideway infrastructure includes nopassenger or freight stations and no passenger or freight station stops.3. The multimodal high speed transportation system as defined in claim 1wherein each of the MPTs is self-powered.
 4. The multimodal high speedtransportation system as described in claim 3 wherein the MPT isself-operating.
 5. The multimodal high speed transportation system asdescribed in claim 3 wherein the MPT is capable of operation either onthe highway or guideway infrastructure.
 6. The multimodal high speedtransportation system as defined in claim 1 wherein MPT departure timesare determined by an MPT operator.
 7. The multimodal high speedtransportation system as defined in claim 1 wherein the MPTs employ ahybrid, fuel cell, propane, hydrogen, battery, ultra capacitor, orsimilar fuel source on conventional roads.
 8. The multimodal high speedtransportation system as defined in claim 1 wherein the MPTs arepermitted to access and exit the guideway infrastructure from and topaved roadway surfaces using the bimodal wheels that enable MPTs totravel on both surface modes without damage to either the infrastructureor MPTs.
 9. The multimodal high speed transportation system as definedin claim 1 wherein each MPT saddle is engaged with the central controlbeam to secure or lock each individual MPT to the surface of theguideway infrastructure so there is no possibility of any MPT fallingoff of the system while traveling at high speeds.
 10. The multimodalhigh speed transportation system as defined in claim 1 wherein thehighway is a multi-lane limited access highway.
 11. The multimodal highspeed transportation system as defined in claim 1 wherein each MPT takesthe form of a mass transit, heavy freight transport, single passenger,two passenger, SUV, family vehicle, pick-up type vehicle, van, deliveryvehicle, or box truck.
 12. The multimodal high speed transportationsystem as defined in claim 1 wherein all MPTs are completely automatedwhile operating on the guideway infrastructure, and wherein all MPTsrevert to manual control when they exit the guideway infrastructure totravel on conventional road surfaces.
 13. The multimodal high speedtransportation system as defined in claim 1 wherein the MPTs can travelbetween 120 to 175 miles per hour while on the guideway infrastructure.14. The multimodal high speed transportation system as described inclaim 1 wherein the MPTs use bimodal wheels, with each bimodal wheelincluding a metallic flange and a resilient tire, the flange and tireeach having an axis of rotation that is substantially horizontal, eachMPT adapted to travel between the skyway guideway infrastructure or thehighway by way of the on-ramps and off-ramps, wherein when an MPTtravels along the highway, the resilient tires contact the conventionalroad surface, and when an MPT travels along the skyway guidewayinfrastructure, the metallic rims contact the rails and the saddleengages the central control beam and the MPT receives power from thecharging surface.
 15. The multimodal high speed transportation system asdescribed in claim 14 wherein the bimodal wheels comprise conventionalair filled pneumatic wheels located interiorly and flanged rail wheelslocated exteriorly.
 16. The multimodal high speed transportation systemas described in claim 15 wherein the bimodal wheels have both theconventional air filled pneumatic wheels and flanged rail wheels incontact with the contact surface at the same time to provide furthersteering support and traction.
 17. The multimodal high speedtransportation system as described in claim 15 wherein only the flangedrail wheels are used for steering the MPT.
 18. The multimodal high speedtransportation system as described in claim 1 wherein the guidewayinfrastructure comprises a triangular, semicircular, or crescent-shapedconfiguration such that the multimodal high speed transportation systemis elevated and supported for multiple MPTs at a given time.
 19. Themultimodal high speed transportation system as described in claim 18wherein the guideway infrastructure configuration comprises hollowconcrete or steel beams.
 20. The multimodal high speed transportationsystem as described in claim 1 wherein the on-ramps and off-ramps have afail-safe such that they are contiguous or parallel to the guidewayinfrastructure and such that they are conjunctively interconnected withthe guideway infrastructure by a passive two way switch between theon-ramp or off-ramp and the guideway infrastructure.
 21. The multimodalhigh speed transportation system as described in claim 1 where anycontact between the central saddle and the central control beam resultsin transfer of electrical energy to the MPT.
 22. The multimodal highspeed transportation system as described in claim 21 wherein thetransfer of electric energy is increased as needed to the size of theMPT travelling on the guideway infrastructure.
 23. The multimodal highspeed transportation system as described in claim 21 wherein thetransfer of electric energy is increased proportionally to the number ofelectric contact power receivers attached to the MPT.
 24. The multimodalhigh speed transportation system as described in claim 21 wherein thetransfer of electrical energy from the guideway infrastructure to theMPT occurs in short, controlled high voltage bursts.
 25. The multimodalhigh speed transportation system as described in claim 1 wherein thecentral saddle secures the MPT to the guideway infrastructure such thatit initiates the transfer from the guideway infrastructure to theoff-ramp and transfer from the on-ramp to the guideway infrastructure.26. The multimodal high speed transportation system as described inclaim 1 wherein the central saddle steers the MPT while in contact withthe central control beam.
 27. The multimodal high speed transportationsystem as described in claim 1 wherein the central saddle provides acommunication pathway between the central control beam and the MPT forany electrical signals that are passed to or from the MPT.
 28. Themultimodal high speed transportation system as described in claim 1wherein access to the guideway infrastructure is granted by thededicated on-ramp or an interchange integrated into the existinghighway.
 29. The multimodal high speed transportation system asdescribed in claim 1 wherein the off-ramp comprises several branch rampsfor multiple vehicles.
 30. The multimodal high speed transportationsystem as described in claim 1 wherein the central control beamcontaining the charging surface comprises a plurality of beams forsupplying additional electric energy.
 31. The multimodal high speedtransportation system as described in claim 1 wherein the guidewayinfrastructure further comprises a plurality of electrical power storagestations arranged as a cascade of energy storage station where eachcascade may feed one or more of the beams supplying electric energy. 32.The multimodal high speed transportation system as described in claim 1wherein the guideway infrastructure comprises no stops, nointersections, no other convergent guideways, no dead ends, and no twoway travel.
 33. The multimodal high speed transportation system asdescribed in claim 1 wherein the weight of the vehicle is supported by apneumatic or resilient tire and steering is accomplished by the flangeor the central control beam.